Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Uldc Overview topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Castle Pines planning commission holds ULDC study session on commercial uses and accessory standards
Summary
The planning commission met March 13 to gather feedback on the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). Staff and commissioners focused on selected commercial uses, accessory uses (drive‑throughs, trash enclosures, EV charging) and whether to use prescriptive standards or performance outcomes; staff will present findings to council March 18.
Kevin Rance, chair of the Castle Pines Planning Commission, opened an open‑door study session on March 13 to collect public and commissioner feedback on proposed updates to the Unified Land Development Code.
Community Development Director Donna Ferguson said the ULDC update is intended to support the comprehensive plan, improve compatibility between existing and future development, and provide predictability for property owners, developers and residents. "Tonight, we are talking about land uses and use regulations," Ferguson told the commission and members of the public.
Commissioners reviewed a selection of principal and accessory uses where staff seeks more direction. Chair Rance flagged two administrative concerns in the packet — how the code currently treats "utilities, minor" (the definition omits on‑site personnel) and whether listed parking‑structure entries properly reflected standards already in §2.301 — and asked commissioners for targeted feedback.
Discussion ranged across animal boarding, car washes, day‑care fencing and minimum site area, live‑work unit sizes and employee limits, and whether certain uses (for example, fueling stations, vape shops, junkyards and payday lenders) should be permitted, limited, or subject to special review. Commissioners repeatedly urged outcome‑focused language — defining the impacts the city wants to avoid or require (noise containment, visual screening, separation distances) — rather than strict prescriptive measures.
Staff said six uses are important enough to consider placing under moratorium while the city analyzes impacts and potential mitigation. Ferguson told the panel that the next step is a joint Planning Commission–City Council meeting on March 18 to present initial findings, followed by continued study sessions and a virtual open‑door session planned for April 10.
The meeting included public comments from a landowner representative and a resident. The chair adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
